Protected
by MauraIslesJr
Summary: After being found on Maura's couch for what seems like the hundredth time, Maura asks Jane for her key back. Hesitant about this, Jane asks Frankie to watch over Maura for a couple days in order for Maura to get her space. Maura/Frankie
1. Chapter 1

It was a long and gruesome day down at the morgue and it didn't help that the murderer was not yet found after two weeks of investigation. The longer the case went on, the longer Maura had to hold the bodies. She wanted nothing more than to go to bed and maybe catch up on her medical journals. She was just wrapping up all of her files when Jane walked into her office. "Hey…" Jane said slowly as she slid on the couch.

"Hello." Maura replied with the intention of sounding annoyed. But Jane wasn't about to ask, simply because she was the reason why her best friend was annoyed. "So.. What's going on?" Jane asked with the peppiest and most innocent voice she could pull off. Maura wasn't falling for it. "Well, I was getting a good nights sleep last night until someone decided to sneak into my house thinking that I wasn't going to hear them for the 16th time this month! But let's not talk about me. I want to hear about you. How are you doing today?" Maura could not have said it with more sarcasm. She was more annoyed about this than when her department decided to hire Kent.

"I'm just fine." Jane answered as she leaned back on the couch with her arms spread out. Maura just rolled her eyes and continued to finish her work. They both sat there in silence with Maura purposely ignoring every question Jane asked for five minutes.

"Alright alright! I hate it when you give me the cold shoulder. Here's your stupid key." She said as she threw it at her, not surprised by Maura's attempt at a duck and cover.

"Well you didn't have to give it to me that way…"

"I don't understand why you won't let me help you Maura." Jane said as she sat back down on the couch. "I don't understand why you think I need the help." Maura said looking up from her desk. "Jane, I'm fine. Really, I am." attempting to ensure her. But Jane didn't want to believe it for a second.

"Alright." She said giving in. If Maura didn't need her help, then Maura didn't need her help. She couldn't force it on her. "But if something happens to you, so help me God."

Maura gave her a stern look, she was a little annoyed at this point. "Nothing is going to happen to me. They've already used me against you, I don't think they can do it again. Besides, you should be protecting yourself. I'd do it if, you know, I wasn't so 'fragile'." She said quoting Jane from their conversation at the hospital three weeks prior. Jane easily wishes that she could take those words back, as well as Maura's kidnapping. "Maur, you know I didn't mean it like that at all."

"Okay Jane. Whatever you say." Maura teased. Of course she knew what she meant by it. But it wasn't a lie either. Jane had more body strength compared to Maura because she was a detective. Tackling people was what seemed to be twenty-five percent of her job. Jane gave what sounded to be a sigh of defeat. "Okay, no more protecting from me, I promise!"

"You know, that didn't really seem convincing. At all really." Maura said teasing her again. Although, she knew that whenever Jane made a promise, she usually kept that promise. Little did she know, Jane found a loophole in her promise.

"Okay, I have to go set up the new home!" Jane lied. Maura's face lit up. She loves to decorate."Oh I'll come-"

"No." Jane shot back as she stood up, afraid that Maura was going to find out about what she was really planning on doing. Maura nudged her head back, taken aback by the situation. "Well fine…" Maura said hurtfully, still unaware of the lie that Jane was telling her, "I was planning on staying home and reading my medical journals anyway." Which wasn't much of a lie. She was planning to do that but it's just that she hadn't been out in a while and wanted to have some fun with her best friend. "You have fun with that." Jane said sarcastically. She didn't understand the hype about medical journals. Maura read them, Susie read them, and Kent reads them! She assumed it was because she wasn't in the medical field but she wasn't going to question it.

"Hey, just make sure you call or text me when you get home?" Jane said with concern, one foot already out the door.

Maura smiled over the amount of care her best friend has for her. "Of course."

"You gotta help me out here, Frankie!" Jane pleaded in front of everyone at the precinct, but made sure that no one could hear what was going on between the two siblings.

"Maybe… I'll think about it." He replied, sensing the amount of power he had in the conversation. It isn't very often that Jane asks for favors - especially from her own family. "I've got things of my own going on Janie. I'm not a little kid who can answer every beck and call okay?" Now he was just teasing.

"Come on! I'd do it for you." Jane replied sounding defeated.

Frankie couldn't think of any other way to torture her. He knew for a fact that she would help him out in seconds without a second thought. He nodded, ashamed that he ran out of ways to keep vulnerable Jane in front of him. "I guess I could push my plans…" He said even though they both knew that he had nothing planned for that night. "Thank you Frankie! I owe you." She said right before she walked to her desk. "I'll text everything you need to know before you head over."

"I assume that Maura does know about this?" Frankie said right before she headed off. He knew he was assuming wrong. Jane stopped walking and didn't turn around. She didn't want to lie to her brother but if she had to, she would. "Umm…" She began as she turned around, "I mean, I guess you can say that she knows… She definitely knows that I won't be there physically! But as for you…" Frankie just sat at his desk unamused. There wasn't the slightest chance that he didn't know about Jane's plan. "If she gets mad at me Janie-" he started. But Jane, facing Frankie, already knew what he was going to say, "I know! You're gonna blame it on me. Whatever! I just want her to be safe, that's all."

"I do too. But if she does-"

"If you do too then you wouldn't be fighting or questioning me right now." She whispered, afraid everyone on the floor could hear their conversation. She sat herself at her desk and starred her brother down. Even though they were having this argument, she knew for certain that he was going to do go along with the plan anyway. The Rizzoli Children were raised in a home where if a family member needed help, they were getting that help.

No matter what it was and no matter how much trouble it got them into.


	2. Chapter 2

**So happy that you guys are starting to like this story! I've been so busy with school and after school activities I couldn't find time to write anything. Not going to lie, I also had a hard time coming up with storylines. Anyway, please enjoy chapter 2 and don't forget to leave a review!**

 **xoxo - K**

It was midnight and the last thing that Frankie Rizzoli wanted to be apart of was a stakeout - especially if it wasn't for a case he was working on. Yet, he did it anyway, out of love for his sister and maybe even a little fear of black mail.

He sat at his car waiting for what seemed to be hours without an end. Out of boredom, he picked up his phone and decided to text Jane.

 _Jane Rizzoli_

 _12:49 - It's been two hours and the most exciting thing she's done is go to the bathroom, and even that's not exciting! I'm heading home in ten minutes if nothing else happens._

F.

He sat there waiting for a text back. He couldn't tell if Jane would be up worrying that Frankie couldn't do it, or if she fell asleep in relief that someone else could take care of Maura.

He was getting ready to turn on his car when he felt a vibration in the cup holder.

Jane Rizzoli

12:53 - No Frankie please don't leave yet! Just stay for another two hours and if nothing happens, you can go home. But if something does, Maura keeps a key underneath the plant on the right side of the back door. Don't try picking the lock either because you think it's more fun that way. Okay?

J.

Frankie laughed a little to himself. Jane knew him, and she knew that he was going to stay there for the next two hours just to help Jane out. But as for the lock picking, that would have to be determined if the time ever did come.

As he looked up from his phone, he saw the lights in the kitchen go off. "Remain calm," he thought to himself, "Maybe she's just getting some water, it should be okay." But it wasn't. He heard a scream and what seemed to be a teakettle hit the floor.

It was time for action.

He did just as Jane told him to in the text message.

Frankie slowly got out of his car and walked across the street to Maura's driveway, one hand on his gun the whole time anticipating anything. He attempted to lay low while walking as fast as he could.

If anything happened to her, it was on him.

He came to the back door and didn't hear any screaming. Didn't seem like a good sign. He dropped his keys and lifted the plant up from the right side and found the key right where Jane said it would be. He unlocked the back door and heard nothing.

The thought of something happening to Maura on his watch was not settling well with him.

He swung the door open with his foot while he held is gun with two hands - trying not to make a noise incase the killer got frightened.

Nothing.

There was no one insight in her kitchen. The lights and stove were on and the cabinet door was opened. But still, something didn't feel right. With his gun still in his hands, he proceeded to walk around the counter. Two steps before the turn, he heard something like glass shift around. He began to take even slower steps.

Just as he was about to take the last step to turn around the corner, he saw a figure pop up from behind. "Maura?" He said as he put his gun back in it's place.

Maura jumped in fear and turned around carefully. "Frankie?! My goodness you almost gave me a heart attack. But... Not really... It's very hard to give someone a heart attack just-" she slowed down realizing that Frankie was not interested in medical facts. Instead she just asked, "What in the world are you doing here and how the hell did you get inside?" as she turned the stove off and picked up the teakettle that was lying on the floor.

Frankie just stood there not knowing what to say. He didn't want to out his sister but he also didn't feel like getting yelled at by Maura. "I don't... I don't know..."

He said, soon realizing how stupid he sounded. He made a face making it visible that even he didn't quite know what he was saying.

"You don't know?" Maura questioned, she soon realized why he "didn't know." But the question was, was she going to let it slide, or was she going to torture him? Seeming that he was under Jane's command, she should have just let it slide. However, she wanted to have a little fun. She threw out the pieces of glass that had broken and walked slowly towards Frankie with her arms crossed. "If I asked anyone else why you're here, they wouldn't know?" She said deviously.

He stood there trying not to be taken down by the beautiful medical examiner. "No. No they wouldn't know why I would be here... I don't even know why I'm here!"

"Oh okay." She still proceeded to walk. "So if I were to call, Jane for example, she wouldn't know that you're here. Standing in my kitchen at 1 in the morning?" She came so close that Frankie ended up backing into the refrigerator. "Uh... Why would you call Jane..." He asked attempting not to show any fear. Which did not work out well.

"It was just an example..." She said walking away with her arms still crossed. "But if you have something to say," she shot him a look from behind. It was sly and almost devious. Not only was his fear raised but he felt something for Maura he's never felt before.

"There's nothing to say." He said. Lying.

This got Maura frustrated. All she wanted was the truth. They both knew why Frankie was there.

"For goodness sakes Frankie just tell me. I already know anyway." She said sounding as frustrated as she was. She turned around to face him, still backing him up against the fridge. "Oh really? Or is it just one of your tricks to get me to tell you why I'm here?" Frankie said crossing his arms with confidence.

"Wait a second, I thought you said you didn't know why you were here." Maura said with a smirk - brining down Frankie's appearance of cockiness.

"I uh... I don't know why I'm here! You're right! Maybe I should just go..." Frankie said. The fear was catching back up to him. He took his back off of the fridge and turn the corner to the side door. He was just three steps away when he felt her grab his wrist. "Frankie. Let's just cut to the chase. I know you're here because Jane told you to be." Maura said no longer sounding mad - maybe a little upset.

She let out a sigh of defeat, she didn't know what else to say.

"She just wants you to be safe. There's no harm in that, right?" Frankie said as he leaned in for a hug. She took this invitation as a sign that he cares for her, which he genuinely did.

"I know and I get it! I do but after the… incident… I just feel like she thinks I'm incapable of holding my own. Which makes me feel like I really can't, you know?" She didn't mean for it to sound vulnerable, but that was how she was feeling. She couldn't help it. Maura let go of his embrace and told him that it was okay for him to go. "I can't leave knowing that-" He began. But Maura interrupted, not trying to be rude, she just didn't want to hear another speech. "I already have Jane and your mother worrying about me. I don't think I need another Rizzoli to try and keep me safe, okay?" She said trying to let him down easy.

"I get it. But if you need anyone to talk to at anytime, day or night, you have my number." He smiled and turned around to head to the back door.

"Thank you." She whispered to herself right before she made a move that she would possibly come to regret later.


	3. Chapter 3

**Hey guys! Sorry for the delay. I know it's been over a week since I posted chapter 2 but I just wanted to fix this chapter up as much as I could. I don't think that chapter four will be out so soon because I have no idea what else to write. Any ideas? (not rizzles that's for sure). Anyway hope you enjoy!**

 **xoxo - K**

"I can't just leave her there alone…" Frankie said out loud to himself. It was no longer the fact that he felt sorry for her, but he truly feared that something bad was going to happen while he was gone. He could never forgive himself if something were to happen to her after he left.

He put his hand on the car door handle of the drivers seat. He tugged at it and realized that he dropped his car keys while trying to get into Maura's. "Great!" He said throwing his hands in the air.

He began to walk to back to her house. As he headed closer and closer, he saw a woman's figure standing in the doorway of Maura's house. "Maura?" Frankie said to himself. "You forgot your keys!" She shouted holding the set of keys on her index finger on the loop that was holding them all together and leaning herself against the doorframe.

"Thanks Maur." He said with his hand in the air, signifying that it was a good distance to throw the set. She threw them and was impressed by him catching them in the dark. "Nice."

"Yeah well baseball practice sometimes ran until 9 at night - on a good day. You get used to catching things in the dark." He gave her a smile and then realized that she couldn't see him. "Hey, how'd you know I left these here?" He came in closer, wanting to see her face.

"I was going to close the door and I saw them shining against the lights out here." She lied. She wanted to tell him the truth but she was too embarrassed of it. Maura was close with Jane, making her friends with Frankie. But that never meant that they've had serious conversations that didn't include work before.

"Oh okay. Night Maura." He said turning around and giving her a way goodbye. "Remember, if you need anyone, I'm here for you." He smiled even knowing that she probably couldn't see him.

" _Say something_ " Maura thought to herself, " _You know you want to…_ "

"Please don't tell Jane…" She said in a lower tone, hoping that Frankie heard her. He turned around and put his right hand in the air. "I promise." He gave her a smile and walked closer to her.

They took a seat on the stoop looking up at the night sky.

"The stars look great, don't they?" He said looking up at the sky and not trying to rush things.

She looked up and gave a faint smile, "Yeah, they do." They sat there for the next couple of minutes and his concentration soon drew to Maura. "You okay?" He nudged, "You haven't said one fact about the stars yet."

She let out a smile as she bit her lower lip. She leaned in and looked into his eyes, "There are around 200-400 billions stars in our Milky Way alone." They both finished that sentence and Frankie could see the look of shock on her face. "I went to astronomy camp when I was like 9." She smiled at him. "Oh yeah? Well why don't you tell me a fact."

"Okay... Umm… Did you know that very heavy stars that have gone supernova can actually turn into black holes?" He looked at her and just by the look of her face, he could easily tell that she knew that. "What about this one? The light from stars takes millions of years to reach Earth, so technically when you look at the stars, you're actually looking back in time." She smiled so hard that it made him want to smile too. She applauded him, "I am impressed." They both laughed, and when they calmed down, Maura asked, "So astronomy camp? What happened to it?"

He paused for a second to think about it. "I kinda lost interest after a while. I was walking home one day from camp and I saw a fight break out. Blood everywhere, people yelling, I remember being mortified about my well being until the cops came and broke everything up. Of course it took like ten minutes because the kids were bigger than they were. Anyway, afterwards I went home and I just couldn't stop imagining saving the day like they did… So I've wanted to become a cop ever since."

They let a couple of seconds go by without saying anything. Finally, Frankie asked her how she became the medical examiner she is today.

She told him about how distant her adoptive parents were and how she spent most of her days by herself. She didn't say it for the sympathy, but because it was the truth. She soon became accustomed to the lonely lifestyle. Being a medical examiner seemed like the only job where you don't have to socially interact with people most of the time. "Sometimes the dead are easier to handle than the living."

He took a look in her eyes and realized that she was about to talk about the kidnapping.

At first, she didn't say anything for a while. But then she remembered that she could trust him. "Why don't we go inside and sit on the couch?" She felt a little unsafe sitting outside in the wide open. Yes she was sitting next to a police officer who, without a doubt, had a loaded gun, however, she still felt better being protected by her house.

"Of course."

They moved into her house and sat on the couch. "Would you like anything to drink? I was trying to make tea earlier but that didn't really work out very well…"

"I'm okay. But the real question is, are you?" He wasn't so sure how to come about the situation. He wasn't even sure if she would tell him anything. All he knew was that it was around 1 in the morning and he was more than tired.

"I am…" He could tell that she wasn't finished. She wanted to say something, she just wasn't so sure how to put it in words. After keeping things to herself for a while, she didn't know how to verbally explain her experience. "I understand that what happened to me could have possibly gone worse. I do! I just-" He had to cut her off. There was no way he was letting her finish that sentence. "Don't say that. What happened to you was horrible and so you can't keep thinking that you aren't a real victim. Yes, it could have gone further south. But it didn't. That's what makes you lucky." He reached out his hand to touch hers and gave her a small smile.

"I know." She said as she looked down at the two hands joined together. "I know." This time it was said in a whisper, as if she was saying it to herself.

"I hope you also know that Jane is trying to protect you. It's what she does! I remember when I first started kindergarten, she was in the second grade. I'll never forget that one time she was hiding behind the slide watching out because that week I was complaining about a bully. My dad told me it would be okay. Just to let it go and if it got worse, tell a teacher. It did get worse but I didn't say anything. Janie knew something was up so she said she would beat him up… She was not kidding." They both sat their laughing, picturing eight year old Jane fighting off a six year old boy. Maura had removed her hand from Frankie's to clear up a tear from all the laughter. "I can definitely see that."

"Exactly! So don't be offended by it. She just has the need to protect people all the time. Making her the perfect detective if you ask me." He said, defending his sister.

"It's not just that… I feel like she thinks I'm weak. I get that I'm not a cop and that I don't have a weapon on me all the time. I would just like to think that I can hold my own. It just sucks not having your best friend believe in you, that's all." Frankie could hear the vulnerability in her voice and never imagined Maura feeling this way. She barely ever spoke about her feelings in front of people. It made him feel special that she had opened up to him even though it was only because she felt bad telling Jane. "When someone doesn't believe in you, it's kind of hard to believe in yourself, you know?" He had no idea what to say. He's never had a serious talk like this with anyone.

"Arm wrestle me." He finally said after while. He got off the couch and sunk to the floor next to her coffee table.

"What?" Maura was caught off guard. No one, not once, has ever asked her to arm wrestle them.

He smile and nodded, "Arm wrestle." He set his elbow on her coffee table, waiting for her to do the same. "I'm not going to do that." She said with a laugh. "Prove to yourself that you're not weak." He looked her in the eye with all seriousness. "Frankie this is ridiculous." She shook her head and bent down to the floor across the table. "I can't believe you're making me do this." She let out a sigh and put her elbow on the table. They both joined hands and looked in each others eyes.

"Are you ready to lose?" Frankie asked with a smile, but soon regretted it. " _Nice job!"_ He thought to himself. He got too carried away.

"3, 2, 1… Go." The look of concentration on her face was priceless. She wanted nothing badly than to prove to herself that she was strong - mentally and physical. No matter how much her arm cramped, she pushed through until Frankie finally gave in. Slowly and slowly he bent his elbow sideways to the right.

"Damn…" He tried so hard to say it as if he was truly disappointed. But the truth was, the look on her face was absolutely priceless. If that "losing" to a girl made her that happy, then it was well worth it. She forgot what it felt like to be proud of yourself. He smiled at her cheering to herself. "See? You're stronger than you think you are."

They both stood as Maura thanked him. Somehow, Maura had no idea and never really thought that Frankie could fake the match. She was too happy over the fact that she won. Maura not being one to gloat, made it easier "loosing" on Frankie.

They gave each other a high five and sat back down on the couch.

"Thanks for that." Maura said sounding relaxed, "But I don't think that I could stop the next bad thing that happens to me with an arm wrestling match."

She was right and he hated that she was right because he had no idea what to say. He wanted to motivate her but at the same time keep it realistic.

"You are absolutely right Maura. However, if you treat the next bad experience like you did with just now, it's gonna be hard to go against you. Forget about the physical aspect of it for a moment. If you don't believe in yourself up here and here," he said pointing to his heart and brain, "then you'll have a hard time succeeding."

Now it was Frankie's turn to be right. He saw the look of seriousness on Maura's face and was setback by the fact that she was even listening - nobody normally did.

"Thank you." She reached in for a hug and Frankie accepted it. At this point in the night, they both needed it.

As they let go, Maura took a look at the clock and didn't even realize it when she said, "Oh my goodness," out loud. "What's wrong?" Frankie asked with concern. "It's almost 2:30… I'm so sorry for keeping you up so late…"

He turned around and looked at the clock, "Look at that…" He turned back around to look at Maura with a smile. "Don't worry about it."

"Well you're definitely welcome to sleep on my couch if you want. I'd offer you my guest house but your mom has the only key." She giggled a little bit but made it hard to notice.

"Nah I'll just head home. Besides my new place is like a couple minutes away, I think I'll be okay." He put his hand on the door handle and realized that she was secretly asking him to stay. "But you know, I have to get up in a couple of hours and I have a change of clothes in the car." As soon as he finished the sentence, he could feel the room lighten up a little bit.


	4. Chapter 4

Hey guys! Sorry this one took forever. Hope you enjoy!

xoxo - K

It was almost dawn as Frankie was looking out the window. " _Wait_ …" He thought to himself, _"I don't own those drapes… Or the vase by the drapes… Or that coffee table… What the heck."_

He sat up so quickly you would barely notice his hair move in the opposite direction. _"Oh that's right… I'm at Maura's."_ He smiled to himself happy that he was no longer confused. _"What time is it?"_ He said to himself looking around for a clock, he found one just to his left that read 5:38.

He had one of two choices. Go home and take a quick shower before work so he could be on time, leaving Maura alone wondering what happened to him. Or he could stay, change into his clothes that he had in his trunk and drive to work behind Maura.

The first choice sounded really good to him but he didn't want to be rude. After all, he did promise her that he would stay for the night. He didn't want to break the promise.

 _"I guess it's the second one…"_ He thought to himself as he lay back down with a sigh. As soon as his head hit the pillow, he heard a "Good morning" in the most brightest tone. Without a doubt, he sat up and turned to see Maura behind the kitchen counter. She was still in her pajamas - silk gray nightgown that was surrounded with white lace at the bottom which met in the middle of her thighs. Her hair still a little messy from her sleep but she didn't mind, it was only Frankie and she felt comfortable enough around him to look like her natural self. She just would never admit it to him.

 _"Wow…"_ Frankie said to himself, or so he thought. He didn't realized that he said it out loud until the beauty turned around with a confused look and asked, "What?"

"Nothing! Just surprised I woke up so early without my alarm." A complete and total lie the first thing in the morning was certainly not a good start to the day. "Good morning to you too." He said back a little proud of his lie. He got off the couch and started to fold the blankets that he used. "You have a surprisingly comfortable couch." He said as he finished, heading over to the counter.

"Well I'm glad you slept well. Would you like some coffee?" She offered. "No that's okay. I'll just have some water if you don't mind." He didn't know if it was okay for him to reach into her fridge and grab one so he just stood there waiting for her answer. If his mother taught him anything, it was to always respect the owner of the house.

"Of course. Just help yourself." She said as she walked past him with her tea in her hand. He wasn't so sure if it was the tea or her but he caught a whiff of something that smelled like coconut and couldn't get enough of it. He realized that he was being delusional when he wanted to walk by her own more time and smell her hair.

He got a water bottle and sat down next to her at the dining table. "So how did you sleep after we arm wrestled?" He asked with a smirk on his face. She set her teacup down and smiled at him, "I can't lie to you Frankie, it felt pretty good." She leaned back in her chair and the two began to laugh. She moved forward placing both hands on the table.

"Thank you…" At first he was confused, he had no idea what he was being thanked for, "for staying with me." It was subtle, almost a whisper. She was staring down at her teacup acting as if her gratitude was out of shame. She bit her bottom lip almost in regret.

He reached his hand out to touch hers and felt that spark once again, but ignored it. "Hey," he began as their eyes met, "Stop doubting yourself. You're always so confident in the morgue."

She let out a little huff because this wasn't so very true. "Not always..." she whispered as she removed her hand from underneath his, slightly hoping that he didn't hear her.

Instead of pressuring her to talk about it, he just sat there, waiting for her to talk about it or even change the subject. Either way, he would've gone with it.

"It was six years ago…" She refused to look at him, she didn't want him to see how embarrassed she was, but it needed to be said, "That day you got shot." She looked up at him waiting for him to remember. But how could he forget? It was the day she saved his life.

He leaned back, getting comfortable.

"I don't know if it was the pressure of Jane yelling in my ear or that you only had a few minutes left of living and I was the only person in the room who knew what to do." It was time to admit it. He was alive now so it was okay.

He sensed her hesitation and wanted to make the room brighter. "I think you did a pretty good job. I mean, I'm here today. By the way, I don't think I ever really thanked you for it. Without you I wouldn't have made it this far in my life."

She smiled at him, she felt more confident just looking into his eyes. "There's nothing to be afraid of. Yes, the world is a scary place but there is nothing in this world that should scare you so much that you start to live your life in fear."

He was right, and it sucked. _"Is this the real Francis Rizzoli?"_ She thought to herself.

"I've never seen this side of Frankie." She said in a half whisper with the right corner of her mouth beginning to form a smile. "I like it."

All she's seen is the brotherly Frankie and the cop Frankie, never anything else.

"Yeah?"

"Yeah."

"Well don't tell anyone about it. If Jane were to find out then I don't think I'd ever hear the end of it." He was being serious. He's only shown that side of him to four people. Four people who seemed that they really needed it.

"We'll have to see about that." She smirked and got up to pick up her home phone - just teasing him. "What are you doing over there…." He asked, slowly standing up. "I uh… Nothing…" She pretended to dial, laughing.

He walked towards her. He reached over her body to tried to grab her phone and didn't realized how close he was standing behind her until she turned around with the phone pressed against her chest. At first, her eyes met his neck but as she looked up their eyes met one another. They stood there in silence just gazing into each others eyes, his arm still wrapped around her - hand resting on her back.

They both stood there just waiting for the other person to say something. But neither of them had the courage to.

The silence was interrupted by the sound of her phone ringing against her chest. He took a step back just recalling the last couple of seconds that just happened. He turned his back to her, biting the nail on his thumb. "Isles?" He heard her say. It was a case, which meant that he was going to get a call next. He walked to the couch waiting for his phone to ring.

He felt the phone vibrate in his hand, _"Thank God."_ he thought as he picked up the phone. "Rizzoli… Yeah. Yeah I'll be there as soon as I can." He hung up the phone and turned to face Maura. "Duty calls" He said as he waved his phone in the air. She nodded and gave a fake laugh, "Me too."

They stood there looking at each other, but this time, it was awkward. Neither of them knew what to do next.

"Well I better get going. I have to get home and get a new change of clothes!" He said it so nervously his hand was slightly shaking. But it was quite hard for Maura to notice as she was focusing on how tight his shirt clung to his body- wondering what it would be like if she were to touch him on his stomach.

"Um…" She paused, still staring at his body, "Yeah, I'll see you at the station…"

* * *

"So what time did you end up going home?" Jane asked, making sure that only Frankie could hear her.

He sat there pretending that he didn't hear anything. But Jane knew something was up the instant he looked away from her. The truth was, he didn't know whether or not to tell Jane that he slept over Maura's house. He didn't care, but would Maura? After their conversation that night he was just so lost. He didn't know what to do.

"If you're gonna ignore me, don't be so obvious about it." She said as she lightly hit Frankie on the shoulder. She hated nothing more than being ignored, especially by those she cares about.

But that didn't stop him from staying quiet.

"Frankie," She said down in front of him so he could see her face, "You've got me worried. What happened last night?"

Now this he could answer without lying.

"What happened? I did what you told me to do. I went, I stayed for hours and then left."

Now this was no lie. Even though he did leave out some parts like sleeping over and going home the next day, it still made him feel better that what came out of his mouth was the truth. But if she asked him how long he stayed, well, he wouldn't be able to answer that at all.

"Okay…" She said slowly as she got up from her chair. "Now that wasn't so hard was it?" She still felt suspicious. Why would it take Frankie that long to reply to a simple question? Jane knew what she had to do next. If she couldn't get the truth out of Frankie, she sure as hell was going to get it from Maura.


	5. Chapter 5

April 2, 2016 marked the day that Doctor Maura Isles had first started to do busy work. Granted that she was a very intelligent medical examiner and it seemed that her autopsies and paper work would just pass by, but on this very day, she's never worked faster in her whole entire life.

What was she trying to accomplish? She wanted the thought of Frankie Rizzoli gone.

So she checked her inventory twice and made sure that every stitch was done to perfection. She even straightened out some tags on the bodies. That's how desperate she was to stop thinking about him and their morning that they shared together.

She sat down at her desk and was about to go online shopping when she heard a knock at the door.

"Jane," She said with a hint of surprise, "come in. Take a seat." She was so eager to talk to someone but she didn't realize that they would be dwelling on Frankie - the person she was trying to avoid. Soon after Jane sat down did Maura realize that she was starring at her the way she stares at some of the suspects in interrogation.

"May I help you…"

Jane didn't quite know how to word what she wanted to say. She didn't want Maura to know what was going on either. So she sat there for another minute or two in silence, really creeping out Maura.

"Jane, I have work to do and I'm pretty sure that you do too." A lie on both of their parts. The case was ruled a suicide and the only person who had work to do was Maura. But seeming that she was trying to take things off her mind, she finished it within three hours with the help of Kent and Susie.

"How was your night?" Jane finally asked with a sly look. She sat back on the chair getting comfortable. "It was okay," another lie, "How was yours?" Even after the silence Maura still didn't understand what was going on.

"My night was pretty good." Jane was telling the truth. Last night was the first time she's gotten more than six hours of sleep in two weeks. "But let's stick to you… What'd you do last night?"

Then it suddenly dawned on her. _She knows_.

"I got home, ate dinner, read medical journals, tried to fall asleep but when I didn't I made some tea, and then went to bed." She was being both detailed and discrete. Leaving out details wasn't completely lying… _Was it?_

"That seems very interesting." Jane said with another sly look.

"It was nothing short of interesting. Did you know that-"

"Oh cut the crap Maur." She finally let out. She knew that Maura definitely had the ability to play this game just as long as she could. "I know that you know that I sent Frankie to your house."

On the outside, Maura played it calm. She didn't let her facial expressions show what she was truly feeling. She wanted to blush and smile at the thought of their wonderful evening together, but she wouldn't allow herself to. Not yet. Maybe not even ever.

"Okay, so now that you're giving me freeway to admit that you sent Frankie over?"

"Yes!" But it was too late for Jane to take it back. She didn't realize that Maura knew how to play this game almost as well as she could. "Shit." She muttered under her voice.

"Exactly! You sent Frankie over to spy on me when I specifically told you that I could handle my own! Not only that but you promised me that you wouldn't do this to me anymore." Then suddenly, it hit her.

 _I promised her that I would stay out of the way, I never said that Frankie wouldn't..._

"Actually," she said starting out calmly, "I promised you that _I_ would stop spying on you, I never said anything about my brother or anyone else for a matter of fact!"

This sent Maura into complete silence. It was true. Even though it sucked, it was still the truth.

"You are a sneak Jane Rizzoli."

"It gets the job done."

They sat there for a couple of seconds in silence, waiting for the other to address the problem.

"So…" Jane began, refusing to look at Maura, "You and Frankie…" She still refused to look up as she finished the sentence which was probably for the best. She wasn't able to see Maura getting tense and locking her jaw so tight she thought it was going to snap.

"What about Frankie and me?"

"What happened last night?" Jane changed to a much softer tone, she didn't want Maura to feel as if she were being attacked. "It was nothing." Maura wanted nothing more than to just change the topic.

"Look Maur," She said finally looking up, "I know that this is awkward because I'm his sister but-"

"Jane, I don't know what went on last night. I really, I don't! I'm not even sure if he knows either. I just think it would be better to talk to him before I talk to anyone else." Now it was Maura's turn to refuse to look at Jane. She crossed her hands and looked down the whole time she spoke.

"I get it… I'm here if you want to talk." It was the simple gestures that always made Maura want to open up, but she usually decline. It was different this time. This time, it was the relationship between her and her best friends brother. But she thought it was would be out of line to talk about it with her.

"I just, I'm afraid that someone's going to come out of it hurt."

Jane could tell how serious Maura was. "Maura… What are you trying to say?" This was a question she already knew the answer to. Maura liked Frankie, but she wasn't sure if he liked her back; and neither was Jane. Once again, they both sat there in silence, both of them not wanting to say anything.

The silence was interrupted by Maura's buzzing phone.

She quickly took a look at her phone and said, "I have to go, Kent needs my help down town." In the middle of her sentence, she was trying so desperately to hide her phone in her lab coat pocket and the nervous tone in her voice. Luckily for her, Jane didn't ask her about it. She figured that Maura was already shaky enough with what was going on with Frankie.

"Okay." She said, giving her best friend sympathetic smile before she got up to leave. "I'll talk to you later." Jane gave a wave just as she stepped out of the door.

As soon as the coast was clear, Maura took her phone out of her pocket and stared at her lock screen.

 _1 Voicemail - Frankie Rizzoli_

Her heart started to race. Should she listen to it now? She held her phone in her hand with such a tight grip that her fingers turned pail and she almost couldn't feel her hand. _"What am I so afraid of? It was just a small altercation, it didn't mean anything."_ She thought to herself, but she also knew that it meant everything.

* * *

 _"Oh God what should I do?"_ Frankie thought to himself as he held his phone to his chin. He was sitting back at his desk and looked at the floor in concentration.

He replayed this mornings events over and over again in his head. However, he never took the time to see how Maura reacted, how she looked, her mannerisms in the morning. He neglected to look at her physically but instead, mentally, emotionally.

"What's the matter with you?" Korsak asked in a joking tone, but he did want to know what was up with him.

At first, he didn't want to answer. However, he didn't want to be rude to Korsak because he meant nothing by asking. He was genuinely concerned. He smirked a little and finally answered. "It's this girl…"

Korsak gave him a surprised look and asked, "Does she have a name?" He gave Frankie a little eyebrow raise.

"She does… But I think it would be better for the both of us if I just didn't say." Yet, Korsak had some idea as to who it was. When Frankie first planted his lips on Maura two years ago, Korsak and Frost were the first people he told. He kept his mouth shut and his thoughts to himself just incase he was wrong.

"So do you want to talk about her or do you want to pretend like this just didn't happen?"

Korsak was good at that, pretending that he didn't hear something he shouldn't have. That's why Frankie decided to open up to him. He told him everything that happened with Maura, leaving her name out of the story of course.

Korsak sat there, soaking up all the information. "So I'm assuming that you like her… A lot." This was an obvious question but Korsak was just trying to buy time before he asked the real questions. Frankie gave him a nod with a smile and he knew that more questions were allowed to be asked.

"What's stopping you?"

Frankie was confused by this and his reaction showed it. He didn't understand what he was trying to say.

"What's stopping you from going after her?"

This was the trickiest question. No matter what he said, it could lead to Korsak finding out who the "secret" girl is. "A lot of things." He tried to keep it discrete but he could tell that Korsak was not buying into this crap that he was trying to sell.

"She doesn't usually go for guys like me." This wasn't such a dead give away. He couldn't think of anything else that would keep it short and simple without spilling the beans. Little did he know, just that tiny bit of information said a lot to Korsak and his theory was confirmed.

"Well maybe she'll change her mind." Koreas said in high hopes.

"I don't know about this one Korsak." He let out a small huff of defeat, Frankie has never been more confused and unsure of himself before. It was really starting to mess with his head.

"You never know until you go for it. Look at me and Kiki! No one would've ever expected us ti end up married. Not even me!" He let out a laugh, still in disbelief that the two actually tied the not. "Anything is possible!"

 _"He's right…"_ Frankie thought to himself. He sat up from his chair and started walking out the door into interrogation, "I have to make a call.


	6. Chapter 6

**Hey everyone! Sorry it's been so long since I last updated. I usually get super busy around this time and I have a hard time keeping up with everything that doesn't involve school or dance. I barely even have time to sleep! But anyway, I hope you all enjoy. **I don't think chapter 7 will be uploaded very soon either, sorry!**

 **xoxo - K**

"Maura, hi. It's Frankie. I just umm…" Him pausing made her smile. "I wanted to talk about last night and this morning." She felt as if her heart sank all the way to her toes. "Call me back when you get a chance. Thanks!"

At first, she sat still at her office chair not knowing what to do.

Should I call now? Should I even call at all or should I just text him?

She didn't like this feeling of being indecisive and unclear of what to do in the situation. She was used to being in control and knowing what she wanted; even in her love life she always knew what she wanted. But now? She couldn't make a decision to save her life.

 _I'll just text him… But I don't want him to think that I'm trying to avoid him, even though I really am…_

She decided to pull up his contact and press the first thing she saw. The second she heard the phone ring she froze. It rang twice before she could recall the last couple of seconds. She so desperately hoped that Frankie would miss the call because she had no idea what she was going to say to him.

"Hello?"

Her heart started to beat faster and she didn't know what to do. "Frankie, Hi. It's Maura. I got your call."

"Oh hey Maura!" She could've sworn he was smiling through the phone but she wasn't so sure. "Are you free anytime soon?" He acted so calm towards the situation Maura didn't know how to react. Why wasn't she so calm?

Little did she know that on the other side of the line Frankie's heart was racing just as fast as hers was.

"Hi…" They both didn't know what to say next.

"So uh…" Frankie began but didn't know where he was going. Maura let a couple of seconds pass by before she said something. "We should talk. Are you free tonight?"

 _Good. A good start. You don't sound as horrified as you actually are._

"Yes, absolutely! Time doesn't matter." He said. _Damn, why can't I act that calm? What's going on with me?_

"Great! See you around 7?" He agreed that it was a good time and they both hung up the phone.

 _God I hope I won't screw up…_

He paced back and forth the floor hallway. "Whoa what's going on over here?" He heard from behind. Frankie quickly turned around to see Frost standing by the elevators.

"It's nothing. Don't worry about it." He assured to Frost, and himself. "Pacing the halls with that look on your face. Well Frankie Rizzoli I've only seen you do that once before and that was when you were hung over a woman!"

He was caught.

"What, no!" He lied, but very badly. "It's not a woman…" It's _the_ woman. He wanted to say it out loud but he also didn't want to talk about the situation. All he truly wanted was Maura but he didn't know how to win her over with words so he turned around and walked away.

"No wait. Frankie, if you there's something wrong, I can help. Or at least I can try to help." His offer was so genuine that Frankie couldn't resist it. "Okay fine you're right. It is about a woman." He admitted.

"Ahh," Frost said as he rubbed his hands together, "My area of expertise! Come on, let's grab some coffee."

They made their way down to the cafe across the street because Frankie was paranoid that someone would over hear their conversation. After they both ordered and got their drinks, they made their way into the small booth in the corner of the cafe.

"So what's going on?" Frost asked after a couple of minutes. He didn't want Frankie to think he was too into his business. "It's about Maura."

This was no surprise to him. Ever since Frankie told him about the first time with Maura, he already knew that there was something left unsaid. He just didn't know when it was going to happen because it wasn't the right time.

"Ever since the kidnapping, Jane has been on her case about safety because she doesn't want it to happen again," Frankie continued, "So every night Jane snuck into her house just make sure that she's okay. Well Maura found out every night because once Jane is sleeping, she's sleeping! Maura got mad and asked for her key back and her privacy."

Frost interrupted him, "But where do you come in?"

"I was just getting there… Anyway Jane asked me if I could watch Maura for the night. At first I said no but you know me and my family - especially Jane. Saying no to her is like saying no to God. So I did it! The first couple of hours was boring. I even almost fell asleep."

"No wonder why it took you so long to make detective." Frost joked. The truth was, Frankie's process to making it to detective was the quickest Frost has ever seen. He just loved to joke about it every now and then.

"Very funny." He said giving a smirk, "Can I continue?" Frost gave him the gesture to go and Frankie sat there for another twenty minutes telling Frost the story of what occurred the night before. He told him everything he remembered, except for the part where he thought he was in love.

That, he would save for someone else. Someone who needed to hear it more than Frost did.

* * *

"Maura!" Jane yelled from Maura's office doorway. Frightened by the surprise interruption, Maura looked up.

"What's so hard about saying 'hello'"? She asked with a small hint of frustration. If she were in the middle of an autopsy, there would be no doubt that that interruption would've screwed it up. "It's boring!" Jane answered as she took a seat on the chair closest to Maura's desk.

"Let's do something tonight."

"Can't," Maura responded not even looking up from her work, "I have plans."

"Are they work related?" Jane questioned. Maura never usually made plans without talking to her about them. Granted that both of them weren't a couple but they were best friends. Best friends who told each other everything- or at so Jane thought.

It took a moment for Maura to answer. She didn't want to lie to Jane but she also didn't think it would be appropriate to tell her what was going on before it was going on. "Sort of." She hesitated, almost saying "not exactly", but she luckily caught herself.

Jane was not going to let this fly. She knew Maura was keeping something from her and she really wanted to find out. "What do you mean _sort of_? How is something _sort of_ work related? It either is or isn't!"

But instead of giving her what she wanted, Maura surprised her by changing the subject. "Kind of like how I asked you to stop trying to protect me. You either do it or you don't." Jane wanted to pretend like she didn't know what she was talking about but Maura was definitely not born yesterday.

"Maura I was just-"

"Don't Jane. You promised that you would stop!" The frustration in her voice was clearly evident.

"Technically, I said that I would stop. I never said that Frankie would never start." She didn't mean to throw anyone under the bus. She found a loophole and she took advantage of it. Jane just had a hard time seeing the wrong in it because she was trying to protect her.

"Look Jane, I admire you being concerned for me. I really do. But I can handle my own and I can't do that with you constantly on my back wanting to save me. I do understand that you were scared and upset that you couldn't save me at the time. But I am here now." She held out her hand and touched Jane's. "I'll be okay."

"It's not that I don't trust you or think you're weak. It's," She paused because she didn't know whether or not she should share this information, "I don't like it when I can't save people." It sounded so stupid to her but it was the truth. After a long silence, Jane spoke again. "This is why I'm good at my job Maura. It's not because I get a satisfactory feeling after being thanked. It's because I could have saved that person if I really tried. Guess I just feel bad because I was the one responsible for their death or disappearance."

Maura sat there looking into her best friends eyes. "Oh Jane… I didn't-" But Jane cut her off. "Nobody did Maur. It's okay."

"Maybe that's what makes this friendship work. It's all balance." Jane gave a look of confusion. "I have a hard time protecting myself and you have a hard time with not protecting someone. There's a balance."

They both gave each other a smile as Jane's phone rang. "Shit. I totally forgot about this meeting" She got up and almost ran to the door but stopped herself just before she walked out. "I'll try and stop. I promise."

Maura smiled at her computer screen because if it weren't for Jane's persistence, she would never had had that night with Frankie or even have plans for that night. But of course, Maura would never admit that to anyone.


	7. Chapter 7

Even though he had been exposed to all sorts horrific moments in his life, nothing could remotely compare to this moment. Not even almost dying on the autopsy table. He'd rather experience that again than have to face the anticipation waiting ahead for him at Maura's house.

He was two blocks away from Maura's house when he decided to pull over and give himself a little pep talk.

Growing up with siblings prepared him for not getting everything he wanted in life, granted that he was raised with a mother that praised every single kid she gave birth to. However, this was completely different. If he didn't get what he wanted this time then there was no hope for the future because all he really wanted was that beautiful medical examiner.

He sat there behind the wheel replaying what happened seventeen hours ago. From what he remembered, Maura showed interest in him. But then again, it could just end up like it did the last time he wanted to be with her.

 _I could still turn back… I could tell her that Frost needed me at his house… I could… Can't I?_

He sat and thought about the best and worst possibilities. However, he couldn't help but dwell on the worst. Why would Maura choose him? Out of all people? Blue collar cop who only went through six years of college compared to what? The best medical examiner in Boston who probably studied endlessly day in and day out for more than ten years.

Plus, there was also the fact that Maura was Jane's best friend. If it didn't workout between the two the last thing he wanted was for her to pick sides.

 _She shouldn't have to pick a side._

He gave out a long sigh and turned on his car, not knowing what he was going to do or where he was going to go.

Two blocks over, Maura stood in front of her bedroom closet contemplating whether or not to change her outfit. _What do I wear for this time of occasion… Should I stay in my clothes or should I change? This should be fine, right? I mean… Wait Maura… What are you doing to yourself?_ She thought to herself.

Other than this morning, she had trouble remembering the last time she was this worried and indecisive. She could not stand this feeling any longer.

She glanced at her watch to look at the time.

Frankie was coming at any minute now and she knew she had to clean herself up soon. If there was any repeat of this morning when they were on the phone, Maura would be a wreck and she couldn't afford that right. She had to show him that she was strong as well.

Just as she stood up to head to her closet, the doorbell rang and she could feel her heart rate increase.

 _Here we go_.

She carefully walked down the stairs attempting not to fall because every other part of her body was shay from being so nervous. After what felt like some short of forever, she made it to the doorway. She looked through the little window next to the door and saw black curly hair sticking out.

If her heart wasn't beating this fast before, it sure as hell was now.

She held her hand on the door knob not hesitant to open the door. Who was at the other end of the door was no question. After a couple seconds to retaliate, she opened the door to a smiling Jane Rizzoli.

 _Damn it_. She thought to herself in high hopes that she was wrong. But there was definitely no possibility of that. Jane had very distinctive hair that would be very hard for anyone to forget or miss.

"Jane… Hi…" Maura had never heard herself sound more nervous.

Luckily, Jane took the nerves as curiosity. "I came here because tonight we are going out. Even if that means we drive around city for a couple hours." She disregarded the fact that Maura didn't invite her in and walked into the foyer. "Come on get dressed!"

It was her hesitation that finally made Jane catch on.

"Maur what's going on?" She asked taking a strong stance with her arms crossed underneath her chest. "Tonight's just not a good night, okay? I'm busy." She was blunt but yet discrete. There was no way that Maura could let any bit of information slip at all.

"Doing what?" Jane could easily sense that there was more to it then she was leading on. She avoided Jane's gaze to come up with a lie. "Well for starters I have to read some files and then I have to write my report on the different forms of cells and then go into deep detail about the cytoplasm and endoplasmic-" She was cut off before she could even finish the lie.

"Nope. Try again." Jane interrupted.

"Jane there really isn't a way to get around this. I am using words that children in middle and high school are learning." She knew right from the beginning that using some sort of medical word would have her running for the wind. "Fine. You win."

Jane turned to walk to the door, "Have fun writing your snooze paper."

After Maura closed the door, she leaned her back against it and sunk to the floor. This was one of those times where she was actually happy that her and Jane didn't share much in common. Yet, there was nothing like the guilt of lying to her friend especially when all she wanted to do was spend time with her. _Oh god…_ She thought to herself. _That was close..._

Still slumped on the floor, she let out a sign.

She had no idea what she would have done if Frankie walked in. She thought about all the possible lies. Leaking faucet, seeing Angela, and her helping him fix his motorcycle again. But even those lies would set Jane off. Why would she invite Frankie over without telling Jane?

 _What time is it…_ She asked herself as she searched for a clock.

She got up and headed to the kitchen to look at the clock on the stove. The feeling of anxiousness arose when she read 7:30. All Maura wanted was to get it over with. She couldn't take the anticipation anymore and decided to get her phone and call him.

She passed by a bottle of wine and felt the desire to drink the whole thing to take the edge off. However, a sober Maura would be more appropriate for the conversation she was about to have. She could only imagine the things she would say if she were drunk in front of him.

 _Maybe I shouldn't call_. She thought to herself. _I might sound drunk even though I'm not, but it would be easier if I was…_

The moment she sat down on the couch, the doorbell rang causing her to freeze.

 _Let's get this over with…_

She headed for the door and felt the sweat on her palms. She couldn't remember the last time a guy made her this nervous. Out of all people, why was it Frankie?

Her first attempt at opening the door had failed due to her moist hand. _Well that's disgusting_. She tried with her other hand and somewhat succeeded. She slightly opened the door but lost her grip when she saw Frankie.

"I uh, Hi."

"Hey. I would've been here sooner but I saw Jane so I parked out a couple blocks and waited for her to leave." He explained. He didn't want her to know that the reason why he saw her was because he pulled over questioning his credibility to do this.

"Oh it's okay. She just came over to see if we could go out for a drink. Come in!" She welcomed and lead the way to the living room. "So…" She began.

But he interrupted, "I don't want to be rude but if we start with small talk then I'm afraid that I'll never be able to say what I need to say." He was afraid that he was coming on too strong but when Maura gave him a small smile, he knew that she agreed. "Okay," she said in a soft tone, "let's cut to the chase."

"Okay."

However, neither of them wanted to start the topic first in fear that the other would totally disagree.

They sat there, looking at each other, in silence like they have so many times before. But this time was a little different. Before, both of them were confident in what they wanted to say. This time? A whole different story.

"Before we do this, can I just say something?" Maura began, shockingly not afraid. He nodded with pure relief, "Of course."

She took a moment and looked at him with loving eyes.

"I know I said this already but I feel like I have to say it again. Thank you for the other night." He was confused. He saw no reason to thank him. If anything, he was doing it for his benefit - out of love of course.

"Maura you don't-" He tried saying, but she interrupted him.

"No I mean it Frankie. I really am so grateful for yesterday. If it weren't for you I don't think I would've been able to stand up to Jane and tell her how I felt today. So, thank you again." She gave me a smile but wanted to wipe it away in fear that he would see how she truly felt about him.

"You're welcome. Like I said before, whenever you need it, I'll be here."

 _Right there. That was it._ She thought to herself.

* * *

If Maura thought that Jane would just get up and leave Maura's house without further investigation, she was very wrong. So wrong that it made Jane a little upset to think that her friend didn't know her as well as she thought she did.

From the moment Maura asked her to leave, Jane knew something was up. Detective's instinct.

Just because she wasn't on the job, didn't mean that she didn't have to further investigate what was going on. However, it did mean that she didn't have the right to sneak around.

She hopped into her car, started the engine, drove to the corner, and then made a U-Turn. _That should be enough time for Maura to think I'm gone. Right?_ She thought to herself as she drove slowly just in case she was wrong, and parked three houses down on the street.

 _What are you doing? This is a violation of privacy and exactly what Maura was talking about_. She thought to herself. _But who really gives a shit?_

All the money in the world could never stop her from taking action once she felt the need to and Maura should know that by now.

She stepped out of the car and slowly headed to the front door of Maura's house. Careful not to get caught, she crouched down by a bush in front of a window and made sure that her head of hair was tied back so no one could see her.

She looked around and saw nothing but furniture. Nothing out of place - just how it always was with Maura.

 _Maybe she was really planning on reading her boring medical journals…_

Disappointed with the mini stakeout, Jane got up to leave. As she walked back to her car, she couldn't help but feel guilty about not trusting her best friend.

 _This is what she was talking about._


	8. Chapter 8

**Hey Guys! Sorry I haven't updated in over a month. I've just been so busy with school and out of school activities. Also, not gonna lie, I didn't know how to end it without sounding redundant. (Which in my opinion I completely failed). Anyway, for those people who thought I stopped righting because to them, don't flatter yourself. I actually have a life outside of fighting you guys, which seems to be the complete opposite for you.**

 **Thanks to everyone who PM'ed me asking me when my next chapter was. Made me feel really nice!**

 **Hope you guys enjoy.**

 **xoxo- K**

 **PS- I am in the midst of writing another fanfic, much more different compared to the ones I usually write.**

"I really underestimated you, you know that?" Maura said, not realizing how wrong it sounded. "Well what I mean is that I never pictured you as the comforting type. I always thought you were kind of like me in that way."

Now she was just insulting him.

"If that… Makes sense?" She said soon regretting every word that came out of her mouth.

"No no I get it, don't worry." He smiled reassuringly. "I know what you mean. I don't like to display that side of me. People take you for granted or don't take you seriously. Better off just masking it, you know?"

She didn't know. She had no idea what he was talking about because, like she said, she wasn't good at the whole comforting thing.

"But," He said, taking a step closer to her, "you're not bad at it yourself." She stepped back, surprised. "What are you talking about?" She said giving a laugh.

"That day I got shot and all those visits to the hospital. I know you were visiting Jane but you didn't have to drop by. You could've gone home."

She felt chills run down her spine. She did remember those days. Those months. She stepped closer to him and said, "Well it's not every day that I get a patient with a heartbeat. When I do, I want to make sure that they are well taken care of." She smiled, looking up at him.

"Well, thank you for that." He smiled back, walking closer.

Each time he thanked her, she felt uncomfortable, but she refused to let him see that. Except for this time. He saw her face, "What's wrong?" He wanted to reach out and touch her face but was too afraid to.

"Nothing… It's, nothing." She said trying to brush it off.

But Frankie knew better than that.

"No, you can tell me." He was now inches away from her face, "Please tell me."

She looked him in the eye and swallowed so hard that it was audible. It took her awhile to open her mouth and he was okay with it, she knew he was okay with it. "I just, I um…" He smiled at her, finding it cute that she was struggling to find the words. "I am not the hero of that story. I didn't necessarily save your life as much as you think I did… Jane was the one who-"

He had to interrupt; he couldn't let her finish the rest of that sentence.

"No she's not." He said it so gently it gave Maura a comforting feeling. "If it weren't for you I really would be dead by now. I know it, Jane knows it," He walked closer to he and cupped her face in his hand, "Even you know it."

She smiled at him, hard.

"And," he paused, contemplating his next move, "if it weren't for you, I couldn't do this."

He touched his lips to hers and felt the biggest smile coming on. In that moment, it was like everything was frozen to him and he didn't care if she was Jane's best friend. All he knew was that he was happy with her and genuinely happy.

As for Maura, she couldn't stop smiling. From the moment he touched her face, even though they were still kissing, she kept on smiling. All her doubts about this man in front of her slipped away. She knew that he was there for her which made her smile even bigger.

They both felt like they belonged right there, standing in her living room, together.

When Frankie pulled away, they both felt the emptiness. Maura's smile slowly faded away in fear that he was going to say the opposite of what she was thinking. However, the second he began to smile, Maura felt some sort of reassurance. "That was nice." He whispered, still pretty close to her face.

"Mhmm…" She wanted to ask him to do it again but didn't want to come off in a weird way.

She decided to do something impulsive, almost something she never does. She kissed him, but this time with all she had and he followed. She slid her hands underneath his shirt without realizing it until he grabbed them. "Are you sure about this? I don't want to rush into this and-" But she stopped him with another kiss.


End file.
